The Official "Southport is Closing" Thread

This is very sad indeed, its being hacked at with a chainsaw

(Caution: The following images may be upsetting for some entusiasts)

http://www.southportforums.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=50365006

Cyclone

1937-2006

Rest in peace ye ol' beaut

That is sad, however it looks like they're being more "gentle" than the guys who took down this coaster.

Ocean View Coaster!

Wow, they sure as hell didn't wait very long for that one, did they!

Oh, well.....

Pretty obvious that BPB wants to make sure Pleasureland never operates as a park again. They didn't want it and they don't want anyone else to run Pleasureland as a park. Demolishing the Cyclone helps to seal that deal.

And here was I thinking Astroworld was a disgrace !

This is downright disgusting. That coaster has been there for nigh on 70 years and yet the local council afforded it no protection whatsoever and just simply handed it over to Blackpool Pleasurebeach to pull the old "it's not viable" trick.

Is there a condition beyond absolutely livid? Because, I tell you, Im there !

My eyes ... they burn!

I'm probably the only person who thought the pics were really cool... oh well...

Your not the only one who's there.

Theres plenty of hatred for Amanda at the moment.

Anyone know why they're taking it down with chainsaws instead of just wrecking the thing apart with bulldozers or something?

^ My guess is that it is a little more "lo-profile". Seems like they are trying to take it down quietly with the least amount of resistence.

I am sure if they announced it way ahead of time, the locals would probably freak out. They usually do.

Anyone know why they're taking it down with chainsaws instead of just wrecking the thing apart with bulldozers or something?

Knowing the BPB company, there most likely going to chop it up into little pieces & sell them on ebay for £25

It's a utter disgrace that they have done this to Cyclone already

Oh, well . . .

Rest in Peace (or Pieces), Cyclone! I'm glad I had the chance to ride you back in June.

Hmmm. I dunno. It's disappointing to loose another coaster, but to be totally honest it really wasn't special in any way.

It's kinda the weakest of the classic bunch. I usually enjoy the old classic woodies hugely, but the Cyclone just didn't offer much at all.

Pity though. I'll be bummed about the wild mouse one though. Those skitty little woodies are very unique.

Wierd pictures, but unfortunate. An odd way to "TAER IT DOWN". Those guys would have a blast with Mean Streak....

Those tearing down pictures remind me of the ones when our own Tornado was scraped. That one was also a classic.

Sad, but it's too late now

demolished the same ruthless way as Cyclone right now.

it really wasn't special in any way.

I am not the world's greatest preservationist but ...

1) Almost 70 years old!

2) Actually in good shape

3) Charlie Paige

// wonders what the UK's new #1 coaster will be

So I guess they don't have to do anything special even though this was some sort of historic landmark?

Realistically though, the other poster is right, this was one of the weakest of the 'classic' woodies, and I liked it, it was smooth, but it was nothing special.

Still sad to see it and the park go.

So I guess they don't have to do anything special even though this was some sort of historic landmark?

In the US, if the "Landmark" is privately owned, they can pretty much do anything they want to it.

Example: Hotel Breakers at Cedar Point (Had it's Landmark status revoked after recent renovations and expansions)

Hmmm. I dunno. It's disappointing to loose another coaster, but to be totally honest it really wasn't special in any way.

 

It's kinda the weakest of the classic bunch. I usually enjoy the old classic woodies hugely, but the Cyclone just didn't offer much at all.

See, that's my feeling exactly. And I'm probably in the minority, and I'm sure my opinion isn't the "popular" one, but honestly, if a woodie had to go, I'd MUCH rather have it be Cyclone than a huge other list of other, better woodies I can think of.

I mean, yes the ride was "fun" but it's not a memorable ride in the sense that you'd go out of your way to make a special trip for.

IMO, if it wasn't for the funhouse as Southport, the park isn't much more than a "credit run" park. And like I said, had I known that so many things would have been closed the day TPR went, we probably would have cut back our time there after ERT from 3 hours to 2 hours! How good of a place could it have really been if it's a "2 hour park?"

What I find amusing is how people who normally wouldn't have talked about Cyclone at all come out of the woodwork once the ride is being destroyed. Same thing happened with Starliner at Miracle Strip. That ride was pretty much of the same caliber. Old, yes....Fun, yes. Memorable? Not really. Just because it's "old" doesn't mean it's worth holding onto. I could think of many other woodies here in the US that I wouldn't be bothered about if they went away: Zippin Pippin, CLP's Blue Streak, that thing in Kansas, etc, etc.

I mean, if they announced Grand National was being torn down, OMG! But Cyclone? Meh.....I mean, how many people even cared the year after Frontierland's woodie was destroyed?

*silence*

That's right. Most people are probably saying "Frontierland?"

So yeah....I'm always bummed to see a park close or a ride get destroyed, but I don't see this as being that great of a loss.

--Robb "And Joe, I actually thought the pics were really cool too!" Alvey

^You're harsh, but I feel you do speak for people who are too scared to admit that position as well!

BTW, the pictures of the Vekoma getting ripped apart by a bulldozer are much cooler!

Just because it's "old" doesn't mean it's worth holding onto.

Agreed. Now if we could only get my dad to believe that about all the crap from the 70s he keeps in boxes in the basement...

Of course I never rode it, but I'm always sad to see any old coaster go.

Now if it sucked or wasn't that good, then it's no big loss.

I just hate to see any coaster get the axe (literally).

I thought the ride was very weak, and the park was not that special to me either one of my least favorite on the trip. That being said I hate to see places like this just tossed away, since this hobby will have no future for me if all the parks are part of chains. For years this place was able too survive and now it just has no possible future. Just seems like a waste to me and I am no really glad I got to go. I feel like this most times when I hear something gets destroyed. I understand why, but I just hate to see the parks of the past sacrificed for the cookie cutter parks of the present.

Pleasureland was heading for major success, but then Geoffrey Thompson died (RIP) and Amanda Thompson took charge and immediatly announced that she does't share the same interest as her Dad in the industry. Since GT died investment into PL stopped, aswell as advertising, she wanted it closed down since she took charge, so this year they put the icing on the cake by having wristbands at BPB cheaper than at PL.

Pleasureland announced was closure was with immediate affect(how often does that happen), and now the Cyclone is being demolished instantly, with out no announcement, even though its a National Historic Landmark.

(I said Geoffrey would be turning in his grave at the closure of PL, but now he must be doing flips and spins, I hope he haunts his evil daughter)

Anyway, do you think we'll see the same repeated at BPB like Nash or Wild Mouse, just removed/demolished, because lets face it, if its cheaper for Amanda to remove Nash and replace it with a Boomerang, she'll do it.